Department: Mobile for Development
Team: Digital Inclusion
Location: London or Nairobi
Position type: Fixed Term Contract until December 2027
What the hiring manager says
“This role is a great opportunity for someone who is passionate about driving digital inclusion for the unconnected in low- and middle-income countries, and women in particular. As a Senior Insights Manager, you will lead research projects that truly drive impact on the ground, increasing awareness and understanding of approaches to improve handset affordability driving replication and scale. The role offers an exciting and varied mix of primary research projects and industry exposure, providing unparalleled access to key industry players across Africa and Asia, and the opportunity to shape the agenda of an industry that has a profound impact on the lives of billions.”
Saloni Korlimarla – Director
About the Team
GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D) is a global team within the GSMA, which brings together our mobile operator members, tech innovators, the development community and governments, to realise the impact of mobile in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/
This role sits within the GSMA’s Connected Women and Connected Society programmes. GSMA’s Connected Women programme works with mobile operators and their partners to address the barriers to women accessing and using mobile internet and mobile money services. For more information, please visit the GSMA Connected Women website at: www.gsma.com/connectedwomen.
The GSMA’s Connected Society Programme works with the mobile industry and key stakeholders to increase access to and adoption of the mobile internet, focusing on underserved population groups in developing markets. For more information, please visit the GSMA Connected Society website at: www.gsma.com/connectedsociety
About the Role
As Senior Insights Manager, you will collate and synthesise existing research and evidence on initiatives aiming to improve handset affordability for women and underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, including business models and considerations for reaching the underserved and low-income women, and you will identify the key knowledge gaps.
You will lead on the development and management of bespoke research studies addressing these knowledge gaps to inform future stakeholder action to accelerate digital inclusion among women and the underserved. Studies will be action-oriented research focused on understanding how to improve handset affordability for women and the underserved, including access to handset-financing, reducing handset costs, improving willingness to pay and overcoming barriers preventing the continued use of handsets. Commercial feasibility will feature across all these areas of interest. You will also capture learnings from ongoing strategic assistance to mobile operators on these areas.
From the research, you will formulate actionable insights that can help mobile operators and other providers identify commercially sustainable and socially impactful actions to drive digital inclusion for women through handset affordability initiatives. You will synthesise and disseminate key findings and recommendations through written reports and engaging presentations, clearly communicated and tailored for the target audience.
You will also shape and deliver best-in-class case studies and briefs to support the GSMA’s role as a thought leader in handset affordability as a driver of digital inclusion.
About You
The right candidate will take an evidence-based approach to produce robust and impactful thought leadership content, drawing on a solid foundation of research and evaluation expertise, as well as knowledge and understanding of conducting research with a gender lens. You will be excited to join a diverse team that shares a passion for the ways mobile technology can empower underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, especially women.
You must have the right to work in the UK or Kenya.
We welcome applications from professionals with the following demonstrated qualifications:
- Experience designing and managing primary research projects in low- and middle-income countries, including experience of gender-inclusive research methodologies and tools.
- Experience and familiarity with quantitative and qualitative research methods using a range of tools.
- Experience of procuring external research agencies and of managing them to deliver high-quality deliverables.
- Demonstrated ability to plan and manage research projects, driving them through to completion with minimal guidance from your managers.
- Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills, including the ability to structure and tailor complex findings into clear messaging for different stakeholder audiences.
- Ability to synthesise thought leadership deliverables into succinct key messages, and to create bespoke storylines tailored for different audiences and objectives.
- Confident stakeholder engagement and presentation skills, including influencing programmatic action.
- Collaborative team player with experience working across culturally diverse teams and environments.
- Knowledge of key issues and the barriers facing underserved populations, especially women, in accessing and using mobile phones.
- Genuine interest in driving mobile internet adoption and use in low- and middle-income countries, including an understanding of the commercial and social benefits.
- A self-starter, highly motivated to develop initiatives and drive through to completion. Able to work independently with an entrepreneurial, creative, can-do orientation.
- Experience of working in low- and middle-income countries.
About your Skills
Analysis - Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to isolate and translate problems/requirements into analytical frameworks and to synthesise insights from mixed methods data.
Communication - Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills in English, including an ability to articulate often complex issues in plain language, without losing the important points.
Delivery - Highly organised, with ability to deliver multiple complex projects simultaneously across a range of themes, on time and to high-quality. Stakeholder Management - Demonstrated experience in establishing and managing productive work relationship with stakeholders at all levels, including C-level and external research agencies.
Commercial Awareness - experience and ability to translate research into suitable, high-quality, actionable outputs and commercially-viable recommendations for mobile operators and other private sector stakeholders in LMICs, and to ensure that the research design is appropriate to facilitate this.
We strive to offer a meaningful and inclusive application experience for all candidates. Should you require any accommodations or adjustments due to a disability or for any other reason during the hiring process, please contact [email protected] with your request.
Contract type
Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)Worker type
EmployeeWhat We OfferWorking at the GSMA offers you unparalleled access to the mobile industry. We offer a chance to truly shape the direction of mobile, whatever your role. By joining the GSMA, you will be exposed to a fast-paced rapidly evolving environment, working on global solutions, genuinely fascinating and industry-changing projects and a stimulating and dynamic environment designed to enable you to flourish.
In addition to architect-designed offices and competitive compensation, our benefits include fantastic learning & development opportunities, generous holiday allowances, four additional days off for professional development and many others.
To learn more about the GSMA, visit our career site, our LinkedIn page and our Twitter page.
Being You at the GSMA
We care deeply about diversity, equity and inclusivity and aspire to be the best at it. Your well-being and work/life balance is important, so flexi-time and remote working is available to all staff. We're keen to ensure everyone is equal, represented and connected so we particularly encourage applications from all demographics. The sucess of the GSMA year on year will continue to be contributed by people from all walks of life.
GSMA Values
Our values not only drive our culture – they shape how we work and interact inside and outside our global organisation.
Passionately driven
We approach everything we do with unparalleled capability, tenacity and commitment, knowing that the challenging scale, pace and complexity of our work is what leads to its world-changing impact.
Insightful leaders
We continually develop and engage our expertise, insight and creativity so that we’re always ready to respond to the changing landscape with authority, agility and nuance.
Stronger together
We lean on each other so the industry can lean on us, embracing our diversity by actively seeking out perspectives and skill sets beyond our own, fuelling each other’s successes and constantly asking how we can help.
Underpinning our values is our collective mindset to show up purposefully as good human beings every day, in every situation. When we’re at our best – we are collaborative, considerate and compassionate to others, and we create a safe space for one another to thrive, assuming positive intent in our colleagues. And if we aren’t at our best and the pressure is on – we feel free to be ourselves but still remain curious, lean into the tough stuff and we are always respectful to others and accountable for the part we play.
